Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…

LV. 1. A Christian indeed is one that most highly esteemeth and regardeth the interest of God and mens salvation in the world; and taketh all things else to be inconsiderable in comparison of these. The interest of Great men, and Nobles, and Commanders; yea and his own in corporal respects, as riches, honour, health and life, he taketh to be things unworthy to be named in competition with the interest of Christ and Souls. The thing that his heart is most set upon in the world, is that God be glorified, and that the world acknowledge him their King, and that his Laws be obeyed, and that darkness, and infidelity, and ungodliness may be cast out; and that pride, and worldliness, and fleshly lusts may not hurry the miserable world unto perdition. It is one of the saddest and most amazing thoughts that ever entereth into his heart, to consider how much of the world is overwhelmed in ignorance and wickedness, and how great the Kingdom of the Devil is in comparison of the Kingdom of Christ: that God should forsake so much of his Creation: that Christianity should not be owned in above the sixth part of the world; and Popish pride and ignorance, with the corruptions of many other Sects, and the worldly carnal minds of Hypocrites, should rob Christ of so much of this little part, and leave him so small a flock of holy ones, that must possess the Kingdom. His soul consenteth to the Method of the Lords Prayer, as prescribing us the order of our Desires: And in his prayers he seeketh first (in order of estimation and intention) the Hallowing of Gods name, and the coming of his Kingdom, and the doing of his Will on Earth as it is done in Heaven, before his daily bread, or the pardon of his sins, or the deliverance of his ⟨p. 153⟩own soul from temptations and the evil one. Mark him in his prayers, and you shall find that he is, above other men taken up in earnest petitions for the Conversion of the Heathen and Infidel world, and the undeceiving of Mahometans, Jews and Heretics, and the clearing of the Church from those Papal tyrannies, and sopperies and corruptions, which make Christianity hateful or contemptible in the eyes of the Heathen and Mahometan world, and hinder their Conversion. No man so much lamenteth the Pride, and Covetousness, and Laziness, and Unfaithfulness of the Pastors of the Church, because of the doleful consequents to the Gospel, and the souls of men;